Can opener



Jan. 12 1926.

J. A. LINN CAN OPENER Filed Sept 11,

THE-I.

" awe/44 01. JA Jinn Witness Gum/nap Patented Jan. 12, 1926.

JOHN A. LINN, OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA.

can OPENER.

Application filed September 11, 1924. Serial No. 737,140.

Z'o aZZ 107mm it m any concern Be it known that I, JOHN A. LINN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sioux City, in the county of Woodbury and State of Iowa have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can Openers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

his invention relates to an improved can opener and one objectof the invention is to provide a can opener having pivotally connected jaws which are so constructed and mounted that when the can opener is in use, the jaws may move into overlapping relation with one jaw engaging the outer face of the side of a can and the second jaw sliding into contact with the outer side face of the first jaw to brace it against movement away from the can while a blade carried by the second jaw engages and cuts through the top of the can.

Another object of the invention is to so construct this can opener that the jaw engaging the outer face of the side wall of the can may have engagement with the under edge of the securing bead or depending flange of the head or top of the'can and this jaw remain relatively stationary while the second jaw carrying the can head cutting blade moves downwardly to force the blade through the head of the can.

Another object of the invention is to so construct this can opener that it may be readil y'used for removing the head of a can which is of a cylindrical shape and have the head-cutting blade cut through the head in close proximity to the securing bead or joint about the periphery of the head.

Another object of the invention is to so constructthis can opener that while the jaws may be positioned in close contact with the head and walls of the can, the handles of the opener may extend from thecan at an angle which will permit the handles to be readily grasped and the jaw carrying the head-cutting blade moved in an operative direction.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a view showing the improved can opener in side elevation.

Figure 2 is a top plan view showing the can opener applied to a can.

FigureB is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2, and showing the can opener in position for cutting the head of the can.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the can-head penetrating blade forced through the head of the can.

Figure 5 isfia fragmentary sectional view showing the manner in which a modified form of can-wall engaging blade engages the wall and head of the can.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 and showing another modified form of blade.

This improved can opener is provided with sections or members A and B which are pivota'lly connected by means of a rivet or other suitable pivot fastener 1 so that these members A and B will be pivotally connected and the can opener may be operated after the manner of a pair of scissors. The member A is provided with a jaw'2 and hair-- dle 3 provided with a socket 4 for receiving the thumb and the member B is also provided with a aw 5 and with a handle portion 6 terminating in a socket 7 to receive the fingers. These sockets 4 and 7 may be of a conventional scissor construction if desired, but in the preferred form the socket 4- will be provided with beveled faces 8 for fiat contact with the thumb and the socket 7 will be provided with a relatively wide and inclined surface 9 which will permit suflicient pressure to be exerted to cause cutting of the can head as will be hereinafter brought out withoutdiscomfort to the hand of the operator. It will also be noted that the jaws 2 and 5 are offset as shown at 10 in Fig. 2, so that when the can opener is in use it may have proper engagement with the. can as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and the handles extend from the can as shown in Fig. 2. This permits the can opener to be easily operated and further permits of it being readily used in connection with a can which is cylindrical in shape or of any other desired shape.

In order to engage the side wall of the can and have cutting engagement with the top of the can, there have been provided blades 11 and 12, the blade 11 being secured to. the jaw 2 by a rivet or other suitable fastener 13 and the blade 12 being connected with the jaw 5 by rivets or similar fasteners 14:. The blades 11 and 12 are curved longi- 'tudinally as clearly shown in Fig. 2 so that when used in connection with a cylindrical can, these blades may have good engagement with the side wall and top of the can and the blade 12 form a curving cut in the top of the can close to and substantially parallel to the connection between the cover and the wall of the can. It should be further noted that the blade 12 is substantially U-shaped in end elevation as shown in Figs. 3 and 1 thus providing this blade with a cutting portion 12 and an attaching portion or arm 12*. This arm 12" will have flat contact at all points with the jaw 5 and may further hare fiat contact with the outer side face of the aw 2 as shown in Figs. 8 and '-l but the arm or cutting portion l2" will be curved longitudinally as previously explained and will have its free cutting edge extending rearwardly at a downward incline as shown in Fig. 1 so that its rear corner will first penetrate the can and the cutting edge will then move through the head of the can with a slicing movement. This can opener may be used in connection with a "an having the head 15 secured to the wall 16 by a rolled joint 16 and may also be used in connection with a can of the type shown in Fig. 5 wherein the top 17 is provided with a depending flange 18 fitting about the upper )ortion of the walls 19 of the can and solt cred into place.

When this can opener is in use, it will be grasped after the manner of a pair of shears with the thumb passing through the socket at and the fingers passing through the socket T. The handles will then be moved apart to swing the blades 11 and 12 away from each other to such an extent that the blade 11 may be placed in face to face contact with the wall of the can and the cutting portion 12* of the blade 12 moved into engagement with the head of the can. The handles will then be moved toward each other and when the necessary pressure is applied, the upper edge of the blade 11 will have contacting engagement with the bead it) or lower edge of the flange 18 and the cutting edge of the blade 12 will be forced thro= gh the top of the can. As previously explained, the rear end of this cutting edge of the blade 12 first penetrates the can top and the blade then moves through the top with a slicing movement. During this movement, the jaw 2 and blade 11 are positioned between the can and the portion of the blade 12 which is secured to the jaw 5. The jaw 2 and blade 11 are therefore prevented from having any transverse movement and there fore the blade will cut through the top of the can in a very effective manner. lVhen used in connection with a can having the rolled head or joint 16, the cutting portion 12 will be positioned against the inner side face of this joint and from an inspection of Fig. 3, it will be readily seen that the can opener will be very effectively held in the proper relation to the can and the cutting blades and jaws kept in the proper relation to each other. By having the blade 11 secured by a single fastener, the blade will be permitted to have a certain amount of pivotal movement upon the jaw 2 and therefore when the jaws are moved in overlappin relation to each other in cutting the heat of the can, this blade 11 may readily retain itself in proper engagement with the lower edge of the bead 16 or flange 18.

In some cases, it is desirable to only have the upper and lower edges of the blade carried by the jaw 2 engage the outer face of the can. The can opener may therefore be provided with a modified form of blade carried by the lower jaw 2 and this blade may be formed as shown in Fig. 5 or as shown in Fig. 6. Referring to Fig. 5, it will be seen that the blade 20 may be pro vided with an upper side flange 21 which extends from the body of the blade at an upward incline and will have contacting engagement with the lower edge of the bead 16 or flange 18 when the lower edge of the blade is in engagement with the outer side face of the wall of the can. The blade 22 shown in Fig. 6 has its upper edge sharpened similar to the blade 11 but is deeper thanv this blade 11 and has its lower portion bent to provide a flange 23 which engages the outer face of the wall of the can. The blade will therefore engage the wall of the can at an incline as shown in Fig. 6 and may have very good engagement with the bead.

I claim:

A can opener comprising a pair of pivotally connected members formed at one of their ends with flat parallel aw portions movable in overlapping relation when the opener is used in cutting open a can, a flat blade secured flat against one of said jaw portions, and a U-shaped blade straddling such jaw portion and said flat blade and having one side secured flat against the other jaw portion, said side of said U-shaped blade also overlapping the first mentioned jaw portion when the opener is used in cutting open a can and being adapted to bear flatly against s eh jaw portion to prevent separation of the jaw portions and said blades, the other side of said U-shaped blade being formed with a cutting edge.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto atiixed my signature.

JOHN A. Ll N N. 

